The Golding's Trial 2

***** Trigger warning: Mentions of child abuse/neglect *****

Jaime and Margrett couldn't believe that they had been convicted on such major charges. They were nobles from the Forolan family! That sneaky usurper must have bribed the judges or faked the evidence. No, he probably did both of those and more.

"We will continue for the hearings of the remaining charges then read the sentences afterwards to maintain the defendants' civil rights."

The blue-robed judge continued on to the next charges. He ignored the glares of the rabid couple below as he glanced at the list of charges in his hands.

"Jaime and Margrett Golding also stand accused of several counts of being accessories to terrorism and war crimes committed by the True Order fighters who stormed the city not too long ago. These charges include mass murder, assassination, pillaging, hostage taking and unnecessary destruction.

"Defendants, how do you plead?"

"Not guilty! We didn't harm any proper citizens–"

"Very well. Court reporter, register their pleas. Prosecutors, present your evidence."

Their rants were interrupted by the chief judge, who had long grown tired of the never-ending vitriol spewing from their mouths. The prosecutor and his assistants stepped forward to once again present the evidence. They practically tore the defendants to shreds.

Innello quietly stood on the side, answering any questions that came up. He fought the smile creeping up on his face. In court, one must maintain a solemn expression when involved with the trial. Expressions, mana and body language were constantly monitored.

Stallesso Forolan didn't completely destroy the defendants over a decade earlier due to his desire to preserve the family's reputation and a lack of evidence. Jaime and Margrett Golding wouldn't get away this time. They would pay for every wrong that they've done, with added interest.

Unnerved and desperate due to the earlier convictions, the Goldings were much livelier. They pulled every conspiracy theory and broken piece of logic out of their minds to save their skins. Innello quietly reveled in their growing horror. He glanced up at his nephew, who continued to remain unmoved by their pleas.

Yesterday's trial covered all of the evidence, so only the main ones were presented today. Still, over an hour had passed when the prosecution finally rested for these charges. The Goldings sat exhausted on the floor after the second hearing finished.

Fear filled their eyes. The couple finally began to realize that they weren't getting out of this mess. If the prosecution was this vicious in convicting them, then what would the sentences be like? Their wealth wouldn't buy them out. Their status wouldn't shield them. Their allies wouldn't save them.

With twisted glee, the audience anxiously waited for the latest results. As predicted, Jaime and Margrett were convicted soon after the final main pieces of evidence were presented. The blue-robed judge declared them guilty on all charges except for a few charges for accessory to assassination.

The logic was a bit too forced for those. Also, the hearings needed to present a fair image, so dropping a couple of charges wasn't a big deal. The most important ones had been confirmed already. The Goldings' fates were sealed.

The final charges brought the crowd to new heights of excitement. Whispers about them mistreating and abusing Daren had been appearing in the tabloids for ages. This basically confirmed all of the rumors. Eager eyes turned towards the victim to see his reaction.

Daren managed to keep his face void of all expressions. However, his hand tightly squeezed Aayla's. His heart violently pounded in his chest. Many awful memories were dragged to the forefront of his mind. Memories that were better left forgotten.

"Finally, Jaime and Margrett Golding you are both accused of child abuse and neglect towards Daren Forolan when he was a minor under your care years ago. How do you plead?"

Upon the mention of Daren, life flashed back into his horrible parents. That's right! Daren would never go against them. They were his parents, after all. The couple jumped up with a reinvigorated fervor. These charges they could beat.

Then, they could attack the other convictions! With the help of Halcyon City's heir, they could move for house arrest. The rest could slowly be figured out that. Daren could even pardon them when he took control of the city.

The Goldings knew for sure that they didn't do anything wrong with Daren's education. Some nobles actually agreed with giving the lower classes 'rights', but none of them didn't give the best education for their heirs. They followed conservative doctrine like all the other excellent noble families.

Margrett sobbed. "We would never do something so awful to our cute little baby! What parents would harm their own children? Our baby was unfairly stolen from us to use as a hostage when my brother-in-law stole the City Lord position from my husband."

"We plead not guilty!" Jaime roared. "My wife is right! We did the best that we possibly could for Daren. The best tutors, playmates, food, clothing and toys were personally selected! Everything was top quality. From his appearance and personality to his playmates and skills, we aimed to cultivate the perfect heir."

"Note their pleas, court reporter." The blue-robed judge coldly ordered.

Their words and actions had changed so much. Instead of raging, the Goldings were now acting like pitiful victims. Had they smartened up, or were they trying to pressure the victim? Tch. Either way, they were disgusting.

Unfortunately, the Goldings' pity act only aroused disgust. The audience had long realized what kind of people they were. Hatred against them grew as this act disgusted the crowd.

"Everything was 'top quality and 'personally selected' to 'cultivate' the child, eh? Did those 'playmates' and 'tutors' exclude those 'dirty little heathens' and others from the 'lower classes'?" The prosecutor sneered, as if thinking out loud.

"Sounds to me as if a couple of control freaks tried to mold their child into a perfect little doll who danced at the snap of their fingers like a monkey in the circus."

"WHAAAT! HOW DARE YOU!" Margrett couldn't take the side-eyed glance from the prosecutor.

"Oh? Did I say that out loud?" The prosecutor dramatically bowed towards the judges. "Please excuse my rude actions, your honors! I should not have said those words out loud, and accidentally harmed the delicate emotions of the defendants. I'm terribly sorry for the trouble I've caused the court."

"YOU LOW BORN MONGREL! WE RAISED OUR SON TO BE A RULER! A TRUE WIZARD WHO WOULD BRING THE FOROLANS TO NEW HEIGHTS!" Margrett screamed.

The judges inwardly chuckled as Margrett started to make a fool of herself again.

"You did that on purpose! How dare you smear our good names?! I want to file a complaint against the prosecution!"

"Eh? The defendants seem really upset, prosecutor. Apologize then we'll move past this little accident."

"Certainly. I deeply apologize for disturbing your fragile mental states, Mr. and Mrs. Golding."

"YOU – YOU –"

"Very well, the apology has been accepted. Let's move on to the evidence. Prosecutor, please begin."

"My pleasure, your honor."

Stacks of binders and artifacts were brought out. They contained medical records, pictures, witness accounts and other pieces of evidence. Details of Daren's childhood were exposed to the public for the first time ever.

The 'education' given by the tutors resembled maltreatment rather than proper teaching. Daren's day was scheduled out to the minute as decided by his parents. With little time for sleep or play, he would be punished and scolded for the smallest infractions.

He rarely received praise beyond 'as expected of our son'. Corporal punishment, screaming, belittling and withholding meals were common. The servants would constantly judge and monitor him when his parents were absent. No one was his ally or defender.

When his parents needed him, Daren was promptly dressed up and paraded around like an exotic pet. Otherwise, they dumped him on the servants. Jaime and Margrett Golding couldn't be bothered to actually spend time with a noisy, fussy child. They would even ignore Daren at times.

To survive, Daren had to become brilliant. He had to pander to the teachers, servants and his parents. His emotions died and the 'perfect heir' was born. This lasted until Daren was nearly eight years old. By the time that his grandfather and uncle discovered the abuse, Daren had already been scarred for life.

Truly, the prosecutor was a demon. He seemed particularly vicious biting them to death in court. Picking them apart piece by piece, this trial lasted over three hours. Innello had done his research, which included keeping an eye on those horrible educators still freely teaching.

The Goldings had nothing to refute with. So, they turned towards their son for help.

"We call upon our son, Daren Forolan, as a witness! Since he is the alleged victim, our son can clear these false allegations right up!"

"Ohohoho! That's right, my husband! Our Darie didn't speak at the main trial, right? It's important for the alleged victims to have their voices heard."

The judges couldn't say much against that. They were within their rights to call upon witnesses in their favor and to request the victim to personally testify. No matter how suspicious their reasons, this request was valid. The blue-robed judge turned towards the audience.

"Is the victim, Daren Forolan, here? This court has a request for him."